North West ‘ghost army’ of 36 000 costs taxpayers R19bn

RUSTENBURG: At least 36 000 ghost employees had been drawing a combined amount of R19 billion in salaries in North West, the ANC in the region said yesterday.

“These ghost employees have been undetected and exhausting the slim annual salary budget,” said provincial secretary Dakota Legoete.

“The revelation of this unlawful salary diversion to nonexistent civil servants followed the investigations led by Supra Mahumapelo who instructed the verification of every government employee in the province’s salary payment system.”

North West Premier Mahumapelo revealed the figure of 36 000 ghost workers at a standing committee on public accounts meeting.

Legoete said Mahumapelo’s revelations would save the North West provincial government millions of rands.

The Democratic Alliance reacted with shock to the revelations.

Not new

“Ghost officials are not new to the North West provincial government – in 2008 millions of rands were spent on consultants to develop a system that was supposed to eradicate the problem.

“Now, only seven years later, it seems that was a fruitless exercise and a waste of taxpayers’ money, which must be condemned as throwing good money after bad,” said caucus leader Chris Hattingh.

He said it was shocking and unacceptable that ghost workers received pension benefits and medical aid funds.

“North West has become notorious for overexpenditure on personnel budgets – especially in the departments of education and health. These two departments are subsequently also some of the worst-performing departments in the province and are under financial administration.”

He said the DA would ask that Mahumapelo table the outcomes and effects of the 2008 programme to root out ghost workers so the legislature could interrogate the spending of millions of rands. – ANA